Weaving machine



Sept.'27, 1960 R. wHEwELL WEAVING MACHINE 2 Sheeus-Sheet 1 Filed OCT.. 22, 1958 Flal 4 5 ss se 9 4- y /SS lNvENToR.

ROBERT WHE WE LL www Qf/ Q FIG. 2

f I l OPYS Sept. 27, 1960 R, wHEwELL WEAVING MACHINE 2 Shee'izs-Shee. 2

Filed Oct. 22, 1958 L' 4, H s

INVENTOR. ROBERT WH EWELL Arme/vgl;

FIG. 4

Unite 2,954,056 Patented Sept. 27, 1960 WEAVING MACHINE Robert Whewell, Garfield Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Warner & Swasey Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 768,863

9 Claims. (Cl. 139-126) This invention relates to a Weaving machine and more fers the filling or weft to a gripper shuttle which is thenl picked or fired through the shed. After the pick is completed the feeder device moves forward to a point adjacent the selvage and grips the filling or weft which has been fired through the shed, after which the filling or weft is cut. The feeder device then returns to a position where it inserts the end of the filling or weft extending from the bobbin or package into the next shuttle While the weaving machine is performing the beat up operation.

In the high speed operation of this type of Weaving machine approximately half of the cycle time is required for the shuttle to mo-ve from the picking box to the receiving box to position the weft or filling inthe shed. In order to keep the cycle time as short as possible the feeder device starts moving forward toward the selvage while the picked shuttle is still in flight through the shed. While the feeder device is moving forward as just stated, it is necessary to move the filling thread yaside or out of the path of said device to prevent abrasion of the filling thread, after which the filling thread must be repositioned in-its normal location so it can be gripped by the feeder device during the cutting operation. An arrangement for displacing and repositioning the filling as well as the feeder device above referred to are disclosed in Pfarrwaller Patent 2,578,205, issued December 11, 1951.

The displacement and repositioning of the filling thread also have been done by a pair of movable or pivoted centering blades located adjacent to the outermost warp thread on the picking side of the machine.

The cutting of the picked filling or weft usually is done by a pair of scissor-like cutting blades, one form of which is disclosed in Moessinger Patent 2,420,380, issued May 13, 1947. The location of the cutting blades or scissors determines the length that the cut end of the picked filling or weft projects beyond the outermost warp on the picking side. In the arrangement utilizing the pivoted centering blades the cutting blades or scissors, heretofore, have been located between the centering blades and the retracted position of the feeder device and hence the projecting cut end of the picked filling or weft is of substantial length and in`most instances is longer than is necessary for the subsequentoperations to be performed thereon.

An object of the present invention is to provide in a weaving machine of the Vgripper shuttle type a mechanism such that the centering and displacement of the picked-filling or weft to prevent abrasion thereof by the feeder device as it moves forward and the cutting of said filling or weft are performed by a dual purpose unit and this has the advantage that the cut end of the picked filling or weft on the picking side can be cut at a pomt closer to the outermost warp thread than heretoforehas been the case, thus shortening the cut ends of the fillings or wefts on such side of the woven fabric` The usual cutting blades or scissors do not function always satisfactorily in cutting weft or filling threads stiffer than yarn threads as, for instance, in cutting Wire or heavy paper threads when the weaving machine is used to weave wire cloth or sacking material. If the .filling is not cut cleanly and completely at the proper time in the cycle there may result a jam which will stop the machine and require the operator to clear the obstruction.

Another object of the invention is to provide ina gripper shuttle type weaving machine a lling or weft cutting mechanism which functions efficiently and satisfactorily on various kinds of filling or weft threads, that is on stiff filling materials such as wireV or paper aswell as on the usual filling threads of wool, cotton and other similar fibers. s

Another object of the invention is to provide a filling centering and cutting mechanism for a gripper shuttle type weaving' machine wherein one of the pivoted centcring blades .performs a dual function and acts as one of the cutting elements of the mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gripper shuttle type weaving machine van improved filling centering and cutting mechanism embodying fewer moving parts, of simple and inexpensive construction and requiring less critical adjustment for satisfactory operation than has heretofore been available in machines of this type.

Further yand additional objects and advantages not hereinabove specified Will become apparent hereinafter during the description of an embodiment ofthe invention which is to follow and which embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and wherein,

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a weaving machine of the gripper shuttle type which embodies the invention and is taken inwardly of but looking toward thepicking box of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the picking box of the machine shown in Fig. 1 and is taken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a view partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation and is taken on or from line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a detached elevational view of the unit constituting the centering blades and cutter bar shown in Fig. 3 but on a larger scale, the centering blades and cutter bar being indicated in Fig. 3 in their most open or retracted position while in Fig. 4 the centering blades are shown in the closed position they occupy when displacing the filling thread from its normal position, and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but indicates the relationship of the parts after the closed centering blades have moved to center the filling and the cutter bar has moved to cutting position.

The general organization and the usual constituent elements or operative parts of a weaving machine of the gripper shuttle type, such as disclosed in Fig. 1, are well known in the art and are illustrated and described in Fisher Patent 2,841,186, issued July l, 1958. Consequently it will not be necessary to give a detailed description of all of the operative parts or elements of the machine but a brief description only should suflice.

It will also be understood that althought Fig. l illustrates plainly the picking side of the weaving machine, the counterpart of many of the operative elements illus- -wire detecting mechanism 21.

`16`carried by the cross beam members 11 and 12 and supported at their outer undersides by foot members 16a. VThe warp beam 13 has xed to it adjacent one end thereof `a gear 17 which meshes with a let-o gear 18 on `a shaft 18a that is journaled in the frame members 10 and is controlled by a suitable let-off mechanism, not shown, but well understood in the art. The Warp elements or threads 19 are wound on the warp beam 13 `and `are let off therefrom to pass over ithe whip roll 20 and through a drop The warp threads pass from the detecting mechanism through ythe heddles 22 to which they are suitably connected and then through a beat up reed mechanism 23 on the opposite side of the shed from the detecting mechanism 21. The Warp threads 19 with the inserted and beat up weft or lling threads interwoven therewith pass as woven cloth'over -the breast beam 14 around cloth roll 24 and sand or pressure roll 25 to the cloth take-up roll 15, all as is well understood in the art. The shed 26 is formed by the raising land lowering of selected warp threads 19 by the heddles 22 andthe latter are raised and lowered in predetermined manner by a shedding mechanism indicated generally at 27 but well understood in the art.

The beat up reed 23 is c-arried by the lay bar 28 which also carries the shuttle guide 29. The lay bar 28 is operatively connected to a lay shaft 30 that is driven from the main shaft 31 by operative connections housed in the drive box 32. The different operative elements or units of the Weaving machine are driven from the main shaft 31 which, in turn, is operatively connected through a clutch mechanism to a motor, not shown, and located on the frame member at the receiving box side of the ma chine. The main drive shaft 31 extends into the picking box 33 and, as will be understood, actuates the picking box cam shaft 34 through a suitable gear driving connection therewith.

The picking box cam shaft 34 is operatively connected to a shaft 35 which extends into the receiving box of the weaving machine and is operatively connected to a receiving box cam shaft, not shown, but well known in the art. The picking box mechanism and the receiving box mechanism thus are driven and operated in synchronization to provide for the necessary accurate timing required for the eicient operation of the weaving machine.

It will be understood that various cams, not illustrated herein, are mounted on the picking box cam shaft 34 to actuate and control the feeding and picking mechanisms contained in the picking box.

The cams on the picking box cam shaft 34 above referred to include a pair of cams 36 and 37 (see Figs. 2 and 3) which function to actuate the centering blades and the cutter bar of the positioning and cut-ting unit enibodying the invention as will clearly become apparent during the description that follows.

A lever 42 is rockably mounted in the picking box on a pivot 43 and the lower end of said lever is provided with divergent arms, the free ends of which rotatably mount roller type cam followers 38 and 39. The cam i followers 38 and 39 bear on'the cam contoured surfaces,

respectively, of the cams 36 and 37 and rotation of these cams with the shaft 34 acts to rock or oscillate the lever 42 on the pivot 43 and in properly timed movements. The

. pivot 43 for the lever 42 is carried by a pivot block 44 which is slidable on the upper surface of a web Wall '45 of the picking box housing. The pivot block 44 is provided with a tongue 46 on its side that has sliding engagement in a groove 47 formed on the side wall 48 of the picking box housing (see Fig. 2). Thus the pivot block 44 will have guided linear movement limited in one direction by a stop block 52 secured to the web wall 4S and held against lateral displacement by a gib 49 secured to the web wall 45.

The pivot block 44 at its end remote to the stop block is recessed to engage one end of a compression spring 50, the opposite end of which tits within an adjustable plug 53 that is screwed into the front wall 54 of the picking box. The plug 53 can be adjusted to cause the spring Si! to exert a desired spring load on the pivot block 44.

The arrangement just described enables the pivot block 44 to move against the spring load to shift the pivot of the lever 42 to provide 4an overload release to prevent jamming and possible breakage of the mechanism should the necessity arise.

The upper free end of the lever 42 is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 55 to one end of a link bar 56. The link bar 56 has its other end pivotally connected by a pivot pin 58 to an arm 57. The arm 57 is xed to a rocker shaft 59 supported in suitable bearings in the picking box 33; the arm 57 being illustrated in this instance as having a split portion which straddles and is clamped to the rocker shaft 59. The rocker shaft 59 cxtends through the side wall 48 and into a recess 60 in the outer side of said side wall. A gear sector 61 is xed in any suitable way on the end of the rocker shaft 59 in the recess 60 to have rocking movement with said shaft. This gear sector 61 meshes with the rack portion of a bar 62 that slides vertically ina guide groove 63 formed in the side wall 48. SuitableV cover plates 64 and 65 secured to the picking box retain the gear sector 61 and bar 62 in the recess 60 and groove 63 (see Figs. 2 and 3).

It will be seen that rotation of the shaft 34 as the machine operates acts through the cams 36 and 37 fixed thereto to oscillate the lever 42 about its pivot 43 and thus to oscillate the link bar 56 and through the arm S7 cause rocking oscillation of the rocker shaft 59. This rocking oscillation of the rocker shaft 59 effects, through the gear sector 61 and the rack portion of the bar 62, vertical reciprocating movements of said bar in the groove 63 and these movements are in timed relationship to the other operative parts of the weaving machine as will be well understood.

The path of the shuttles as they are picked through the shed is indicated at 66 in Fig. 3 and the shuttles are confined to this path by guides 67 and 68 and a cooperating groove in the housing 69 until the shuttles enter the shed.

As previously stated, the displacement and repositioning of the lling threads carried through the shed by the shuttles are effected by a pair of movable or pivoted centering blades located adjacent to the outermost Warp thread on the picking side of the machine. These centering blades are indicated in the drawings at 70 and 71 and the lower ends of the blades 70 and 71 are pivotally mounted on a common pivot pin 72 that is carried by the fixed plate 73 secured to the picking box 33. The upper ends of the centering blades 70 and 71 when said blades are in open or spread apart position lie on opposite sides of the shuttle path 66 as clearly indicated in Fig. 3.

` The construction of the upper ends of the blades 70 and 71 will be described in detail hereinafter.

A cutter arm 74 has one end secured by suitable clamping means 75 to the vertically reciprocating bar 62 so as to project from said bar at right angles thereto. The outer or free end of the cutter arm 74 is of wider dimension in the vertical direction than the remainder of said cutter bar and the side plane of the outer end of the cutter arm 74 lies adjacent to and parallel with the centering blades 70 and 71 and in contact with the side of the centering blade 71.

The outer end of the cutter arm 74 mounts a pini76 T which extends into cam grooves 77 and `78 formed, respectively, in the centering blades 70 and 71. The

Vcentering blades are retained in proper operative yposition relative to the pin 76 by suitable resilient retaining means such as a snap ring on one end ofthe pin and a Belleville washer 79Y on the other end thereof and which maintains the desired and proper contact pressure between the centering blade 71 and the outer end of the cutter arm 74 for a purpose later to become apparent.

It will be seen that the centering blades 70 and 71 are actuated by the vertical reciprocating movements of the cutter arm 74 with the bar 62. When the bar 62 is at its lowermost position as indicated in Fig. 3, the pin 76 of the cutter arm 74 is located in the lower ends of the cam slots 77 and 78 and the centering blades are in their most spread apart position.

When the oscillating movement of the lever 42 and link bar 56 rocks shaft 59 in a direction such that the gear sector 61 causes vertical upward movement of the bar 62 the pin 76 carried by the cutter arm 74 travels upwardly in the cam slots 77 and 78 of the centering blades. When said pin 76 is intermediate the lower and upper ends of said cam slots, as indicated in Fig. 4, the centering blades 70 and 71 are in closed relationship and both have been moved to a position wherein the lilling thread passing between the centering blades is displaced from its normal position in alignment with the path 66 of the shuttles. The continued upward movement of the bar 62 derived from the gear sector 61 and the oscillating lever 42 moves the pin 76 carried by the cutter arm 74 from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the broken line position as indicated in Fig. 5. In this broken line position of the pin 76, the centering blades are still closed but said blades both have been moved from the displaced position of Fig. 4 to center the filling with respect to the shuttle path 66. The continued upward movement of the cutter arm moves the pin 76 idly in the straight portions of the slots 77 and 78 at the upper ends thereof from the broken line position of Fig. 5 to the full line pin position thereof.

The outer or free end of the cutter arm 74 on its upper edge has fixed thereto a cutter block 80. This cutter block 80 may be formed integrally with the cutter arm 74, but preferably it is in the form of an insert of hard material such as tungsten carbide that is brazed or weldedor otherwise secured to the upper edge of the cutter arm. The cutter block 80 is movable against the outer surface of the centering blade 71 with a predetermined pressure produced by the Belleville washer 79 and .when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 5, said cutter block 80 has cut the lilling thread due to the shearing action between it and a portion of the blade 7'1 later referred to.

The upper end of the centering blade 70 is provided in an edge thereof with a cutout 81 while the opposite side edge of the centering blade 71 is provided with a slot y82. The filling thread when the centering blades 70 and 71 are in the position shown in Fig. 4 is held in the slot 82 of the blade 71 by the inner edge portion of the cutout `81 in the centering blade 70 and thus the movement of said centering blades from the center line 83 to the position shown in Fig. 4 acts to displace the filling thread out of alignment with the shuttle path 66 to a position wherein the feeder device such as disclosed in the previously mentioned Pfarrwaller Patent 2,578,205 will not cause abrasion of the lling thread as said device moves forward toward the selvage while the picked shuttle is still in flight through the shed.

The resume of the operation of the centering blade and cutter mechanism described herein in conjunction with the operation of the weaving machine will now be set forth. When a shuttle is starting its picking ilight into the shed the pin 76 of the cutter arm 74 is at the lower end of the cam slots 77 and 78 in the centering blades and the latter are in their spread apart relationship shown Fig. 3 to allow the shuttle Yand thelling" 'to pas'sthrebetween. i After the shuttle has startedthrough the V,shed

276 the cams 36vand 37 on the shaft 34 start to raise the bar 62 through the operative connections between the bar 62 and said cams as previously described. This -movement of the bar 62 upwardly raises the cutter arm `74 and the pin 76 to the position shown in Fig. 4. The

Rline `83 to displace Vthe lling as previously described. AWhen this point in thecycle of operation is reached there is a predetermined dwell in the movement of the bar 62, cutter arm 74 and centering blades 70 and 7-1 due to dwell portions on the cams 36 and 37. YWhen Athe picked shuttle has reached the receiving-box and its movement has been stopped a tensioning mechanism known in the art tensions the filling thread. At this time Vthe cams 36 and 37 cause the raising of the bar 62 and cutter arm 74 from the position shown in Fig. 4 upwardly, with the result that the centering blades 70 and 71 ware centered relative to `the center 1ine83 and the lling is again in alignment Vwith the shuttle path 66, while the Vpin 76 is in straight upper portions of the cam'slots A77 and 78 of the centering blades.

The feeder device previously referred to is now gripping the filling and the cams 36 and 37 cause further upward movement of the cutter arm 74 and of the pin 76 in the straight upper portionsY of the cam slots during which the cutter block 80Vmoves to the position shown in Fig. 5 and cuts the filling because of a shearing action between the cutter block 80 andthe upper edge of the slot 82 in the centering blade 71. After the filling has been cut the cams 36 and 37 act to effect lowering of the cutter arm 74 to move the pin 76 from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 3, at which time said pin is in the lower endsof the cam slots and the centering blades are in spread apart position so that a shuttle may pass therebetween on the next pick.

It will be noted that the lling is cut adjacent the `outer surface of the centering blade 71 and said surface is closely. adjacent 4to the outermost warp thread. Consequently ythe cut end of the iilling projects beyond the outermost .warp thread a minimum distance, namely, a distance equal rto the thickness of the cutter block 80 and the clearance between the cutter block and the warp thread. As stated, the filling is held during the cutting action and, therefore, the cut lling is'not deiiected by the centering blades or other elements during beat up of the filling. In view of the non-deilection ofthe cut end of the filling the mechanism disclosed herein is particularly adaptable to a weaving machine operating on fillings of wire or other relatively stif material.

The upper surface of the cutter block 80 and the upper edge of slot 82 in centering blade 71 which form the actual cooperating shearing edges may be arranged parallel during the cutting operation insofar as some filling mat configuration of the slot edge or by angularly disposing the shearing edge of cutter block 80.

Although a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated and described herein various modifications and adaptations may be made within Ithe scope of the invention n i as defined in the claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is: 1. In a weaving machine of the gripper shuttle type having a picking box and an actuating shaft in said box,`

.7 movable centering means through which extends the filling thread and which is located on the side of the machine having said pickingbox to displace said thread laterally from a normal position and then move said thread laterally to normal position, movable cutting means for the Y' thread in movable contact with said centering means and located intermediate said centering means and the outermost warp on the pickingside, said centering means and said cutting means having cooperating thread shearing portions, actuating means operatively interconnecting said centering means and said cutting means whereby movement of said cutting means first moves said centering means to thread displaced position and then to thread normal position, after which said centering means remains stationary and said cutting means moves relative thereto to cause said cooperating portions to shear the thread, and means operatively interconnecting said actuating shaft With said cutting means to move the latter.

2. In a weaving machine as defined in claim l and wherein said centering means is pivoted to swing about a fixed axis while said cutting means is reciprocable longitudinally of said centering means in a path transverse to said axis.

3. In a weaving machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said centering means includes a pair of centering blades pivotally mounted upon a common pivot While said cutting means reciprocates longitudinally of said blades and trans- Aversely of said pivot.

4. ,In a weaving machine as defined in claim 3 and wherein the centering blade of said pair of centering blades which is in Contact with said cutting means is provided with a filling receiving slot while the cooperating portions for shearing the filling carried by the centering means and the cutting means are located on the edge of said slot and on the upper edge of said cutting means, said other centering blade of the centering means being provided with a cutout cooperating with said slot to retain the filling in said slot during movement of said centering blades to and from filling displaced position.

5. In a weaving machine as defined in claim 4 and wherein said actuating means operatively interconnecting said centering means and said cutting means includes `longitudinally extending cooperating cam slots in said centering blades, and a pin carried by said cutting means and extending into said slots.

6. In a weaving machine of the gripper shuttle type having a picking box and an actuating shaft in said box, movable centering means through which extends the filling and which is located on the side of the machine having `said picking box to displace said filling laterally from a normal position and then move said filling laterally `ment of said cutting means first moves said centering means to filling displaced position and then to filling normal position after which said centering means remains stationary and said cutting means moves relative thereto to cause said cooperating portions to shear the thread, said actuating means including cam slots in said centering means and a pin carried by said cutting means and extending into said cam slots, and means operatively interconnecting said actuating shaft with said cutting means to move the latter.

7. ln a weaving machine as defined in claim'6 and wherein said cam slots of said actuating means have a straight end portion and inwardly of said straight portion an inclined portion, the movement of the pin carried by the cutting means in said `straight portion of said cam slots producing no movement of said centering means while the movement of said pin in said inclined portion of lsaid cam slots produces movement of said centering means to move the filling to and from normal position.

8. In a weaving machine as defined in claim 6 wherein the means operatively interconnecting said actuating shaft with said cutting means includes cams on said actuating shaft, a movable bar carried by the picking box and connected to said cutting means, and means operatively interconnecting said bar and said cams on said actuating shaft.

9. In a weaving machine as defined in claim 8 wherein the means operatively interconnecting said bar and said cams includes a lever rockably supported in said picking box and provided at one end with cam followers engaging said cams land at the other end pivotally connected to one end of a link bar, the opposite end of which link bar is pivotally connected to an arm fixed on a rock shaft carried by the picking housing, said rock shaft mounting a rack segment while said first mentioned bar is provided with a rack intermeshing` With said segment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,578,205 Pfarrwaller Dec. 1l, 1951 2,648,354 Mascarenhas Aug. 1l, 1953 2,796,084 Pfarrwaller June 18, 1957 Ranma.. Y 

